Chapter 2213: Nasty Plan Maker: Star Origin Lord

The moment Shang Xia charged into the void passage, he immediately sensed that the space there was far more fragile than the other passage leading to the Chaotic Sea of Stars. It wasn’t surprising.

Although the path in the Void Mirage had been the earliest one to open, it had long been sealed jointly by the major Heavenly Fields of the Heaven Observation Star Region, led by the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field. It had been strictly guarded ever since, leaving no opportunity for the people of the Illusory Sea of Stars to exploit. And once the latter secretly opened a second, far more stable void passage, the Void Mirage had naturally been neglected even further.

Yet it was precisely the fragile passage that had been destabilized even more when the Star Origin Lord’s clone drove an entire Essence World into it. The weakened void reminded Shang Xia of his journey years ago, when he had traversed from the outer edge of the Chaotic Sea of Stars toward the distant Star River. Compared to that perilous path, the current one was nothing. The route might be unstable, but for him, it posed no true danger.

As for the Star Origin Lord’s clone ahead of him, since he had to focus on pushing the Essence World forward and maintaining the channel’s integrity, he was unlikely to attack. At least, not until both it and the Essence World had safely entered the Chaotic Sea of Stars. The ones behind him, however, were another matter entirely.

Within the void passage, Shang Xia turned sharply, flicking his sleeve. Dozens of strands of sword qi burst forth, vanishing into nothingness before racing toward the entrance of the passage from different directions. Those who had just entered the tunnel were still far away, and none of them could match the mass of the giant world. Shang Xia did not mind leaving them a little gift.

Moments later, as he sped forward and widened the gap, he suddenly felt the violent tremors of space behind him. From the direction of the entrance came the cutting storms of his sword qi, mixed with several faint yet distinct auras of Sages. There were even angry roars of frustration. Soon after, the entire void passage shuddered violently from two successive blasts and looked to be on the verge of total collapse.

Shang Xia could roughly imagine what had happened.

The Sages of the Illusory Sea of Stars who had pursued him had been caught off-guard by his invisible sword qi, which had torn apart the already unstable spatial layers. Then, perhaps another Essence World, or even a full Heavenly Field, had rammed in behind them, causing the overstrained tunnel to collapse completely.

Fortunately, those Sages were not weaklings. Out of mutual interest, they probably joined forces to prop up the rear half of the collapsing tunnel. Still, catching up to him was impossible.

Shang Xia let out a cold laugh and turned back to continue his pursuit of the Essence World that was nearing the exit.

However, his brow soon furrowed slightly. The trap he had left behind had not stopped everyone, someone was still on his tail.

There was no doubt about it. Only one person was capable of chasing him through such chaos. Only Sage Dong Jin, who possessed an Eternal Golden Boat, had the ability to continue. The vessel might have been built to withstand the erosion of space and time in the Star River, but its defensive power was formidable in its own right.

Shang Xia wondered whether other Sages of the Illusory Sea of Stars were also aboard that vessel.

As the thoughts flashed through his mind, the end of the void tunnel drew near. A heavy feeling sank into his chest.

Up ahead, he could already see the battered Essence World bursting through the exit, its broken heavenly screen riddled with holes. The Star Origin Lord’s clone stood above it, his figure finally revealed as he turned to look directly toward Shang Xia.

Though they were still separated by a great distance within the warped and twisted space, so far that they should not even be able to see one another, both somehow felt each other’s gaze pierce through the void.

Shang Xia could faintly sense that the Star Origin Lord’s clone, though clearly wounded and drained, now wore a triumphant smile.

He could already guess what the man intended to do next.

As if acting on shared instinct, the Star Origin Lord’s clone moved the instant most of the Essence World had emerged from the passage. Without hesitation, he struck.

A blazing torrent of light burst from his hand, flooding the passage and triggering violent tremors.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Space shattered instantly, and the collapse raced down the tunnel like a chain reaction.

At that very moment, Shang Xia flung the Crimson Soul Tablet downward. The weapon lengthened like a massive pillar, anchoring itself into the void. The collapsing spatial corridor froze for a heartbeat as he unleashed his sixth martial intent, Six Harmony Supporting the Heavens. It bought him a window of opportunity.

The void passage, which had been crumbling, suddenly regained support and began to steady itself. Yet the tunnel was vast, and though his martial intent could stabilize the area around him, the far end, directly struck by the Star Origin Lord’s clone, was beyond his reach. Even if his power extended that far, it would be shattered the instant the Star Origin Lord’s clone personally acted.

If he took no further action, the exit toward the Chaotic Sea of Stars would still collapse. Then, Shang Xia would either have to spend great time and energy reopening the passage, or retreat and find the other passage that he entered.

It was a delay that would render all effort meaningless. By then, the Star Origin Lord’s clone would have already sent the Essence World safely into the Six Essence Heavenly Field, or rather, what would soon become his Seven Essence Heavenly Field.

Realizing this, Shang Xia immediately pressed on. Using the Crimson Soul Tablet still imbued with his inner qi, he did not wait to recover. Instead, he unleashed yet another martial intent.

Five streams of elemental energy surged forth before and behind him, forming two five-colored rings that revolved in opposite directions through the void.

Each element cycled through creation and destruction, reinforcing the spatial layers as they spun. The previously stabilized corridor grew even stronger, the distortions and folds within the space smoothing out.

Even the portion near the exit that had been destroyed by the Star Origin Lord’s attack reopened slightly.

The combination of his martial intents fully stabilized the collapsing void. Seizing the moment, Shang Xia withdrew his mace and sped through the tunnel toward the Chaotic Sea of Stars.

Though the exit had collapsed, the region wasn’t too ravaged thanks to his Five Element Annihilation Yin Yang Ring. As he neared the exit, he unleashed Shattered Starry Skies once again, forcing his way back into the Chaotic Sea of Stars through the fractured space.